Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1887-10-06
THE AMERICAN FARMER.
A LACK or WELL KEPT LAWNS
AND FLOWER GARDENS.

Want of Interest I'm the Production of
Fine Vegetables and Small Fruits in
the west-"Hlred HTen"-Employ
Of Machinery.
Farmers are often blamed because they
do not have well kept lawns and flower
gardens in front of their houses, orna-
mented walks about the premises, arbors
and shaded seats. Many state that lack
of taste accounts for the absence of all
these things They are common in vii
lagos, and they declare they would be
common on farms if their owners had any
appreciation of them. Farmers are also
criticised because they do not raise great
variety of choice vegetables and small
fruit for home consumption. They are
often reminded that they could live much
better than they do, aud be at no greater
expense for food, If they would only set
out and cultivate fruit bearing vines and
bushes, have hot bed and raise fine
vegetables, such as celery, asparagus and
egg plant. They are reminded that city
people have fine vegetables and small
fruits on their tables almost continually,
while farmers rarely ever have them.
They are also informed that all these
things ''cost money" in town, while they
can be had in the country for the trouble
Of raising them.
LUCK IN LITTLE THINGS
American farmers, especially those liv-
ing in the west, are informed that farmers
in France Belgium and Holland obtain
the food for their families almost entirely
from their gardens and poultry yards and
are thereby able to convert nearly all the
product of their fields and pastures into
money. 1t has even been shown that
French farmers receive several million
doll,rs per year for the eggs they send to
England. Farmers in the prairie region
are often informed of the important part
the garden plays in furnishing food for the
farmers in the eastern states, and they are
told that the rich soil in the west is much
better for producing vegetables than the
hard and stony soil Of New England and
the central states Still it must be
acknowledged that not much progress is
made in increasing the production of fine
vegetables and small fruits on western
farms. The men who follow farming as a
business in the west and endeavor to make
money by 1t have few lawns, but little
shrubbery small plantations of fruit,
smaller flower gardens, and only apologies
for vegetable gardens.
But for all this, and for all that, they
are not deficient in good taste, and not
unappreciative of the charms of beauty,
and not insensible Of the "joys of the ta-
ble.' They like beautiful surroundings
and are fond of good living. A combina-
ton of unfavorable circumstances gen.
orally prevents them from identifying
their farms, from fixing up things''
about the house, from raising small fruits,
and from supplying their tables with
choice home grown vegetables. Western
farms are generally large, and the produc-
tion of field crops is conducted on an eX-
tensive scale Labor is scarcer and dearer
than in most of the eastern states, and
very much scarcer and dearer than in
those foreign countries where so much at
tention is given to the productiveness of
small fruits, choice vegetables and fancy
poultry. Most of our ''hired men, are
new cOmers-''greenhorns are in
competent to do anything but the coarse
and rough work on the place. They re-
quire large amount of directing to en-
able them to do this properly. The farmer
has too many things to look after to en-
able him to devote too much time to fruit
raising and gardening
OFF TO THE TOWN.
Hands available for farm work appear